“Of course I’m sure,”Nadine said, leaning back in her chair.“I didn’t pull this out of thin air. When I added Vivian on Instagram, I saw we had mutuals. I asked Marina about her. Turns out Marina’s her cousin. And Vivian herself slipped up a couple of times in front of me. She’s always afraid to miss a call, whispering in locker rooms, just like today. You really think her kid suddenly got sick?” she smirked.“Everything in her life revolves around that man. He spoils her, but lives with another woman. That’s her love story. I like Vivian as a friend, but as a woman, I can’t respect that. You don’t break up someone else’s family.”
Nina stayed silent, gripping the cup that had suddenly become unbearably hot. Her thoughts raced, refusing to settle. It was ridiculous to even imagine that her husband and her friend could be lovers. That made no sense. Vivian would never dare come this close if it were true.
Or would she?
“Nina?” Nadine called softly.“Are you okay? You look strange.”
“I’m fine,” Nina said, waving it off, though another wave of anxiety rose inside her.
Fragments flashed through her mind. Ethan. Shares. Wife. Lover. She desperately needed it to be coincidence. Frank couldn’t have done this. He simply wasn’t that man.
Then why did everything line up so perfectly?
Nina set the cup down, an empty ache spreading through her chest. Nadine kept talking, but the words reached her as if they were coming through water.
She had to find out. To know. To check. And as soon as possible.
Her heart tightened with a sickening premonition. Suddenly Nina understood that she needed to leave. Right now. Go home. To Frank. Only his presence could calm her and disprove this terrifying chain of coincidences.
She stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over her cup, and forced an apologetic smile.
“Nadine, I’m sorry, I’ve gotta run. I completely forgot I took Frank’s car. I promised to be back by three. He needs to go out on an errand.”
Nadine lifted her brows in surprise.“Wow. You barely finished your coffee and you’re already bolting. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Nina said quickly, grabbing her purse and jacket, trying to look calm.“I just completely lost track of time.”
“All right, go. But next time, coffee’s on you,” Nadine joked, though a flicker of confusion passed through her eyes.
Nina nodded, left a bill on the table, and headed for the exit, feeling stretched to her limit, as if something inside her might finally tear. She wanted nothing more than to get home as fast as possible, under Frank’s protection. His calm and confidence had always soothed her.
CHAPTER 2
Nina drove home in disbelief at what had just gone through her mind. How could she have even suspected her husband of having an affair with Vivian? It was complete nonsense.
That kind of thing didn’t happen. Right?Not in their life.
She felt stupid, jealous, suspicious. The disgust with herself was almost unbearable. And yet something inside refused to let go. Her intuition had never failed her before.
Nina pulled into the driveway and went inside.
The house was empty.
The silence felt deafening. Frank usually had music playing or the TV murmuring in the background. Now there was nothing. She walked into the living room, tossed her purse onto the couch, and looked around.
“Frank?” she called, but only silence answered.
She went upstairs and checked the bedroom. Empty. His lounge clothes were neatly laid out on the bed, but Frank wasn’t there. Strange.
Nina took out her phone and called him. The ringing dragged on, but he didn’t answer. She tried again. Then again. Her call went straight to voicemail.
Something tightened unpleasantly inside her.
This wasn’t normal. Frank never ignored her calls. Even if he was busy, he always called back within a few minutes. And now there was nothing.
She lowered the phone and wrapped her arms around herself.
Something was wrong.
